Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Seth Carico's "must read" post on fitness in opera

Seth Carico has just posted a piece on his Facebook feed which is a must read for everyone. He talks about his journey from being overweight and getting winded walking up stairs to learning how to breathe and sing better after losing weight.

We first encountered Carico in 2010 when he was singing Martín's Before Night Falls at the Fort Worth Opera with fellow barihunk Wes Mason. To put it politely, he looked like a well-fed military dictator, but a year later he was a fit and popular feature in our calendar.

Seth Carico in ORESTEIA

"I want to talk more about the real issue of fitness in our opera world.
There is too much fighting going on about the effects of fitness in our
business, and I wish we could move past it and focus on what’s important
about this issue: health."

He is currently singing Leporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, which opens today. The cast includes fellow barihunk Davide Luciano in the title role, Aurelia Florian as Donna Anna, Jana Kurocova as Donna Elvira, Matthew Newlin as Don Ottavio (who has also gone through an amazing transformation), Alexandra Hutton as Zerlina, Andrew Harris as Masetto and Tobia Kehrer as the Commendatore. Additional performances are on November 1 and 12.

"Most of the overweight people make the argument that if one loses too much weight, he or she will not be able to breathe properly anymore, and the voice will suffer...I had to relearn how to breathe with a new body, and trust me, that is damned difficult! But, when you are healthy overall and then take the time to adjust your concept of breathing, a new world is there for you."

Some upcoming roles for Carico at the Deutsche Oper Berlin include Biterolf in Wagner's Tannhäuser, Dr Dulcamara in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore and Zuniga in Bizet's Carmen. In 2017, he will make his role debut as Gunther in Wagner's epic Der Ring des Nibelungen (and the Barihunks team will be there!).

Carico is featured in both March and November in our 2016 Barihunks calendar, which is available by clicking on the Lulu link below.

BARIHUNK BIRTHDAY MARCH 21

Marco Vassalli sings Tosti's "Marecchiare"

THE BARIHUNKS MISSION

1. To promote the baritone to bass voice range, especially emerging talent.2. To financially assist singers and promote opera through the sale of our calendar and tee shirts. 3. To make opera competitive with television and movies, by making it appealing to new audiences. 4. To promote good health and self-esteem. A great voice coupled with a healthy life-style prolongs careers.5. Keep opera positive! No bitchiness allowed! This industry is tough enough.

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